BOSTON- Monday, August 4, 2014- The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) today announced the installation of the new Morton Street Bridge in Mattapan will begin Friday, August 8.

MassDOT will close the Morton Street Bridge for the final demolition and installation of the new bridge. The bridge will close for the move at 9:00 PM on Friday August 8, and will reopen at or before 5:00 AM Monday August 18. The new bridge structure will be moved into place this weekend.

During the bridge closure period, general traffic and MBTA Bus Routes 21 and 26 will be detoured. A traffic detour map is included below. MBTA Fairmount Commuter Rail will operate normally except for late Friday night August 8, when Train Nos. 779, 780, 781, and 782 will be replaced with shuttle buses. A fully accessible pedestrian crossing will be in place while the bridge is closed.

MassDOT’s Highway Division constructed a new single span bridge to replace the structurally deficient bridge carrying Morton Street across the MBTA Commuter Rail Tracks in Mattapan. MassDOT used Accelerated Bridge Construction methods to minimize construction impacts. The new bridge structure has been constructed adjacent to the crossing and will be moved into place in one piece.

MassDOT also used Accelerated Bridge Construction and “heavy lift” methods in 2012 to replace the River Street Bridge crossing over the MBTA and CSX railroad tracks in Hyde Park, in addition to previous “heavy lift” bridge projects in Phillipston and Wellesley. During the work, heavy-lifting machines called Self-Propelled Modular Transporters lift the new superstructure from its supports to its final destination and lower it into position.

In 2009, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) was created to unify the state’s various transportation agencies. MassDOT now includes the Highway Division, the MBTA and Rail Transit Division, the Aeronautics Division, and the Registry of Motor Vehicles. MassDOT is committed to providing a safe and reliable transportation system to all those who travel in the Commonwealth and works to deliver excellent customer service. MassDOT has been nationally recognized for its innovative approach to transportation, including the Accelerated Bridge Program, the “Where’s My Bus and Train?” apps and “Fast 14” work. For more information, visit MassDOT at our website: www.mass.gov/massdot blog: http://blog.mass.gov/transportation/, or follow MassDOT on twitter at https://twitter.com/MassDOT and Facebook at www.facebook.com/massdotinfo.